The first shipment out of the USA was a Yellowfin 39 Offshore. It was shipped from Florida to Italy utilising the patented Flat Rail system and arrived safely to be greeted by the Peters & May Italy team.

What is Flat Rail?Flat Rail lets you carry oversized loads from 12 to 15 meters in length and weighing up to 35 tons on container vessels as OOG (Out of Guage). Normally, these would be shipped as Break Bulk because they are too large for a 40ft flatrack.

The loading on board a CMA CGM container vessel was caught on camera by the operator, Bespoke Load Solutions, to illustrate just how simple Flat Rail is to use and can be seen below.

Flat Rail has many uses but seeing the advantage over conventional shipping options for certain sized boats Peters & May USA, who handle a large proportion of US boat exports for the main manufacturers, are confident it won’t be long before the next Flat Rail shipment.

Matt Penfold, Peters & May USA Managing Director, commented ‘The use of Flat Rail enabled us to offer a more efficient solution in this instance for our client, after exploring the RORO and LOLO options.'

He continued- ‘We are always looking for ways to enhance our bespoke logistics service and provide our clients with solutions that keep us leading the industry Having seen how successful this shipment was we are excited to see how the Flat Rail system can help develop more of our clients businesses.'

Chris Steibelt, Bespoke Load Solutions Business Development Manager stated ‘Flat Rail is a fantastic product that adds further options and therefore routes to the conventional methods, giving the client a wider selection of shipping options available to them.'

About Flat RailInitially thought of for nautical transport, Flat Rail is today available for a wider variety of different industrial cargoes, like pressure vessels.

Flat Rail consists of two beams connected to the flatrack corner castings with twist locks. In this way, the load can be handled securely across four stable load bearing points.

Among the advantages of using this technology is improved operational efficiency with reduced handling times and ease. Furthermore this handling ease enables access to more route options where transhipments as Break Bulk could be prohibitive.